Category: makeup

REVIEW | Pupa Milano Contouring and Strobing Palette

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I have always found Pupa Milano to be one of those brands which not only has high quality products but also a brand whose packaging is simply stunning and gorgeous to have and show off in your makeup collection.

The Pupa Milano Contouring and Strobing Palette is one such product. Gorgeous to look at but more importantly the powders themselves are amazing quality; buttery, easy to blend and with great pigmentation and tone.

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The Pupa Milano #Ready4Selfie Contouring and Strobing Palette consists of four shades which come in a reflective compact with a good-sized mirror, perfect for traveling. The shades are labelled; Highlighter, Light Contour, Medium Contour and Dark Contour.

The Highlighting shade in this palette is simply breath-taking, so sparkly and glowy, and definitely an in-your-face highlight. For me this is a shade I get out on special occasions to highlight my cheeks and any other area of my face I want to stand out and glow. It has little shimmering particles like tiny diamonds.

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The other three shades, on the other hand, I have been using on a regular basis ever since I got my hands on this palette. The Light Contour works great as an under-eye setting powder. It has no shimmer at all and the powder is so finely milled that it does not settle in the creases.

The last two shades I like to use in conjunction. The Dark Contour as per its name I like to use as a contour, since it has a greyish undertone which works great to define shadows on your face. The Medium Contour is more warm and works great to bronze up my face without making it look muddy or orange.

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The Pupa Milano Contouring and Strobing #Ready4Selfie Powder Palette retails for €19.90.

Check out my other reviews of Pupa Milano products on A Cosmetic Affair.

*Products mentioned are PR samples. This does not in any way affect my review. All opinions are my own.

MAC Malta | Liptensity Collection and store walk-around

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick Bangin Brilliant

A couple weeks ago I was invited to the MAC Malta store in Sliema to get a preview of some of the latest releases from MAC, namely the Liptensity and the Bangin Brilliant collections. While the Liptensity collection is made up of only lip shades, the Bangin Brilliant has a selection of bright and fun lip shades as well as eye-shadows, a few of which will be included in the permanent MAC makeup line.

The wonderful MAC makeup artist Karen was the one who introduced me to the two collections in the store. She was also kind enough to show me around the store, introducing me to all MAC products and swatching lipsticks and eye-shadows along the way. Thanks Karen for a truly wonderful, makeup filled time!

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick Bangin Brilliant Eros Dionysus

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have by now seen the amazing colour selection of the Liptensity lipsticks in some video on YouTube. Their formulation is unlike any lip product I’ve tried before. They are a bit thick on the lips but not at all uncomfortable. The colour pay-off is stunning and they last on the lips through food and drink. The packaging is gorgeous, with each shade having the corresponding lip bullet colour. The colour selection ranges from dark vampy shades to nude pinky ones, so you will be sure to find the shade that fits your style.

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick Bangin Brilliant Eros Dionysus

L to R: Eros & Dionysus

My favourite way to apply them is to go over the outline of my lips with a lip-liner and then fill in directly from the bullet. For longevity purposes and since the shades are so intense, I like to blot my lips after the first application and then reapply a second layer. The two shades I have are Eros and Dionysus, the former was given to me as a PR sample while the latter I got for myself.

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick Bangin Brilliant

The next collection was the Bangin Brilliant one, which features some ‘crazy’ colours by my books. My style of course being the neutral, some slight sparkly shadow on the eye-lids and red being the most daring colour on the lips. And by ‘crazy’ I mean blues, lilac, greys and greenish tones. However, Karen also pointed out that some of them would work great as toppers to other, more wearable shades, which would give them an iridescent tone.

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick Bangin Brilliant

The eye-shadows in this collection are a bit more compromising than the lip products, and although there are some blues and reds there, I feel they are more easy to incorporate in a subtle way into your usual makeup look. As I’ve mentioned earlier some of the shades from this collection will be included in the permanent line while others will be available for a limited time only.

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick Bangin Brilliant

After Karen swatched lip colours and eye-shadows all along her arms with me snapping away with my camera, we continued to various other products around the store, some of which I was familiar with, whilst others although I might have heard of, had never tried out for myself. Below is a collection of shots of other MAC products at the Sliema store.

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick concealer

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick skincare

MAC Malta Liptensity store Sliema swatches lipstick

MAC Malta Sliema store liptensisty bangin brilliant lipstick

I must admit that I was mostly attracted to the Liptensity collection since I am a lipstick junkie and I was immediately attracted to the bright and vampy shades in the collection.

For more MAC products and chit chat about their store in Sliema, a couple months back I also got my makeup done by a MAC senior artist.

What’s your favourite shade from the Liptensity collection?

REVIEW| Pupa Milano Made to Last Waterproof Eyeshadow

pupa milano, malta, longlasting, eyeshadow, shimmer

If there is one thing I want, when it comes to makeup, during the Summer months, is for it to be long lasting and hassle free. The pen-like cream eyeshadows whilst being hassle free, do not always live up to their claims of longevity and end up smeared all over my eyes (and face).
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REVIEW | Bourjois Air Mat Foundation

Bourjois, matte, long-lasting, Bourjois in Malta, ivory

If you have struggled with oily skin all your life, then you know that the first thing you look for in a foundation name are the words matte and long-lasting. However, you also know that using a long-lasting foundation can have its downfalls, such as dull-looking skin and having dry patches. Having been an avid fan of Bourjois foundations I was welcomed the effectiveness of the Bourjois Air Mat Foundation to deliver not only longevity but brighter-looking skin, without being greasy or heavy.

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MAC Malta | Makeup Application & Experience

MAC Cosmetics

At the end of last month I was invited to the MAC store in Malta for a makeup application by two of MAC’s professional artists from MAC Italia and I was only too happy to oblige.

Being a skeptic myself in having other people touch my face and put makeup on it, I was a bit anxious at what the end result would be but had no reservations about getting some expert tips from Michele and Roberta.

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