January 24, 2009

Before you start calling me a MAC traitor, let me explain myself!  Yes, it’s true, I did order 10 La Femme eyeshadows from Makeupmania.com, but MissChevious is all to blame!  She talked about MakeupMania.com in one of her MissChevious Channel YouTube videos, and said that La Femme actually makes high-quality eyeshadows for prestigious makeup companies, but most people don’t know that.  Since these shadows are only $3.50 each, and MissChevious seems to be pretty much in-the-know, I figured it was worth a little experiment and I went with it.  I was tempted and I caved!

I ordered 10 shadows, and one – Iridescent Brown – is still on backorder.   Here is what I got:

La Femme Eyeshadows

From left to right, the top row is Pink Blush (very frosted), Pink (matte) and Nude (matte).

The middle row is Rose Petal (very frosted), Iridescent White and Bisque (matte).

The bottom row is Plum (matte), Clove (light frost) and Beige Pink (very frosted).

I’ve now used all of these, and can report that they are indeed high quality eyeshadows.  I applied them as I do my MAC shadows: packed on with a good brush over a thin layer of Urban Decay Primer Potion.  I found that all of the shadows lasted throughout the entire day with no creasing or fading.  I dropped one of the shadows on the tile floor today, and it didn’t crack or show any damage at all from the fall.  Most drugstore brands at a higher price point would not have survived that challenge intact.

Although they are good shadows, I didn’t love all of the colors I chose, especially the matte shades.  Bisque and Nude were just nothing colors at all, I much prefer MAC Yogurt for a good neutral foundation color if I’m going to use one.  These are not very pigmented and were just blah.  They also seemed a little fly-away during application.  The Pink shade was more of a matte peachy melon on me rather than a pink, and was just ok.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the Iridescent White, which I hoped would be a good highlight color. The color doesn’t apply very evenly and it can’t decide if it’s too sheer or chalky…it’s kind of both at one time.

There is some good news, and it’s mostly about the shimmery La Femme colors.  I really liked the Pink Beige, Pink Blush and Rose Petal.  The frost was just right, and didn’t fade away to nothing after 15 hours, even though it’s fairly sheer.  I also liked the Plum, which is more reddish than a purple.  I used it to blend in my MAC Corduroy, and liked the rosy brown hue I got.  Clove was more terra cotta/orange-toned than I expected, but it’s a great warm color for bringing out blue eyes if your skin tone will allow you to do the orangy thing.

That’s my verdict on the La Femme eyeshadows.  The formula is good, they last a long time, the price is fabulous, and the MakeupMania customer service is efficient.  Just choose your colors carefully!  If you get one you don’t love, at least you haven’t dropped a huge amount of money on it!  The main thing is to have fun, it’s just makeup!

~BigSis

October 2, 2008

Great stash, BigSis! Just a quick response to your question.  I must admit that I couldn’t get my entire drawer in the photo. I think it cut off a row in the front and the back, so a good “guestimate” is that I have just shy of 50 of these lovely little compacts.

I’ve got a new favorite MAC lip gloss and a slimshine lipstick that I’ll have to share with you soon.

~LilSis

October 2, 2008

Hey, LilSis!  How many of those little babies do you have?  I think you’re WAY ahead of me!  I counted only a mere 40 precious little pots and 2 palettes.

Here’s the photo of my MAC stash.
Alas.  I’m sorry to say that the bathroom in my condo doesn’t permit me to dedicate a whole drawer to my MAC stash.  Can you believe it?  Boo hoo.  It’s a tragedy of epic proportions.  But we make do with what we have…

My newest purchase and latest love is “Bold and Brazen“.  MAC  describes it as frosty light copper with a Starflash finish.  Even the description makes me happy!  And can I tell you how great it looks with blue eyes?!  LilSis, you need this one!  MAC says “Bold and Brazen” is often purchased with “Go“, which is a frosted bronze in the Starflash finish, and “Glamour Check” which is a frosty reddish brown with Starflash.  If you get those two (which I don’t have), then you’ll see that “Go” is often purchased with “Grand Entrance“, a frosty neutral peach beige with Starflash, and “Dreammaker“, a frosty yellow gold with Starflash.  Can you see how the addiction begins?  One leads to another to another to another…

Honestly, I’ve wasted SO much money on drugstore brands that it’s ridiculous.  They don’t stay on, their color selection is skimpy, and frequently the color fades and changes before it disappears into the night (or noon) completely.  Spend around $15 on a MAC eye shadow, and you know it’s going to be your buddy until the pan’s empty.  And then, guess what?  Save up 6 empty containers, and you get a free lipstick!  Can you do that at the local Wally-mart cosmetic department?  Heck, no!  Do yourself a favor, and try just one MAC eyeshadow.  If you’re uncertain about which one to start with, just ask one of the incredible makeup artists at the MAC counter or store, and they’ll steer you to the right choice.  We promise, you’ll be a MAC addict and eyeshadow snob, just like we are!  Let us know how your first MAC experience goes!

~BigSis

October 2, 2008

Our MAC Eyeshadow Fetish. This is one of the fun things that Big Sis and I have in common. We are both obsessed with our MAC Eyeshadow! Who can blame us, though? We’ve both tried dozens of other brands and these shadows not only have fabulous colors, but they really do stay on until you take them off.  On the rare occasion that my head hits the pillow before removing my makeup; the next morning it actually looks like I just put it on.

Whenever I go to Dallas for a visit, usually our first evening out goes like this:  Big Sis picks me up from the airport and we head straight to  Mia’s, our favorite Mexican restaurant. We have a great meal usually consisting of chips, salsa, guacamole, tostados, and tacos. Then we’re off to our favorite department store to get our “fix” for more MAC shadows.

I’m going to try to list a few of my favorite shades, even though I love them all.  The ones I use every day are Cork for my brows and Vanilla for highlighter under my brows.  Some of my all time favorite daily shades are Gleam, Antiqued, Paradisco, Expensive Pink, Swish, and All That Glitters.  My latest purchases are Moons Reflection, a mid-tone blue with white/blue reflects, Pandamonium, a frosty gun metal with white pearl, and Grand Entrance, a frosty neutral peach beige.  The colors just almost make me salivate.

Here’s a photo of my MAC shadow drawer.

Big Sis, let’s see a photo of your MAC drawer. I’m positive it will be more perfectly organized than mine, but that’s okay. Some of mine are sorted more by “used most often” versus by “shade”. I haven’t seen your new bathroom since you moved into your new condo, so I hope your little MAC pots have a drawer of their very own.

~LilSis