MAC Semi Precious Eye Shadow Review/Swatches

So MAC has a new line of mineral shadows out and for those of you who are MACjunkies like I, you know what I am talking about. They have come out with a line called "Semi Precious" and there are 12 shadows, 5 lipglosses, 4 skin finishes, 4 lipsticks, 3 blushes, 2 dual faced eyeshadow brushes, 1 face dual faced foundation brush, 1 dual faced kabuki brush and 1 mascara...


Whew, that's an extensive line! As much as I would have liked to own the entire collection, I focused on snagging three eyeshadows for myself. As beautiful as everything else was, I am pretty constant in the formula of foundation/primers/concealers/setting powders that I use. But being that I am a total eyeshadow junkie, I made sure to make my way to MAC and grab up the three I had been eyeing.


The line was released to the public in the States this past Thursday (7/5/11). I had actually gone to the MAC store on the Tuesday before release because I received an email from the MACpro site and the lovely ladies in the store (who now know me by face and name... o_O) were kind enough to let me go to the back room where they had the display set up so that I could peruse them and swatch them for myself.

The three that caught my eye were "Blue Sheen", "Unsurpassable", and "Hint of Sapphire"

Now, I've read and watched different reviews on the eyeshadows and many of them did not receive great marks. Maybe 4 out of the 12 were said to be considered worth buying. Though I totally respect the opinion of many of the Makeup Gurus on YouTube and Beauty Bloggers, I decided that this was something that I would have to decide for myself. I defintely take what others have said into consideration, but after swatching the shadows myself and liking what I saw, I decided to buy them when they were released. And also, because some of my friends wanted to see these shadows swatched as well, I decided to write out this review.

So these swatches were done wet and dry over Urban Decay's Primer Potion. Also please keep in mind that I am a darker skinned girl, so hopefully this will help all you girls (and boys) with a more golden-brown skin tone decide whether you'd like to invest in these shadows.

(from left to right: Hint of Sapphire, Blue Sheen and Unsurpassable)

First up, Unsurpassable. In it's pan, it's mix of greens, blues, pinks and sparkles galore. When it is swatched on the skin it totally changes the shade that would be expected if it were to be taken at face value. I personally like the sheer and sparkly effect that it gives on the skin. It gives that perfect wash of color that I would associate with a fairy or princess. (I know, I'm a romantic. lol.)

Dry, you can see more of the mixture of green and blues, giving it almost a jade-like appearance with small flecks of pink.

Wet, the pink seems to make more of an appearance almost canceling out the green. It becomes an indescribable neutral-like color but the sparkle is still there.

I personally like the shadow when it's applied dry.

Then there is Blue Sheen. It is a deep, royal blue with flecks of pink in it that I feel are very nice in contrast to each other. However, wet or dry, the color pay off looks the same to me. The wet swatch is only a tiny bit more intense than the dry swatch but I do think one way or the other, it would be beautiful to wear in either form.

Now for Hint of Sapphire. When swatched dry, it's another shadow that seems packed full of greens and blues and pinks, although in the pan it is more blue than green as opposed to Unsurpassable. It also shows up somewhat sheer but again, I like that and it's something I was looking for anyway. It swatches more blue on the skin with little hints of green and pink sparkles.

When swatched wet, the blue seems to come out more, over powering the green in it almost.

I think this is one shadow I would also prefer to wear dry.

Some things that I like about these shadows is that they're definitely attractive to look at in the pan and on the skin. I feel that these are something worth investing in. They are also multi-faceted. They change in appearance slightly. Unsurpassable and Hint of Sapphire show up one color on the skin until you view them from a different angle, as well as whether they are seen in artificial or natural light. Blue Sheen seems pretty constant although when applied wet, the deep blue over powers a lot of the pink sparkle that is embedded in it.

As for the other shadows, while they were definitely nice to look at, I am a picky buyer. Something has to really catch my eye for me to really want it (and that is after talking to the MACgirls, reading and listening to reviews and doing my own personal swatches.)

They can be bought for $20.00 at any store that sells MAC. I hope that this eyeshadow swatch review was helpful to you all!

Thanks for reading!!!

I've beee M.I.A...

All right, all right, I know I've been completely M.I.A. for far too long. It's been almost five months since I graduated from Cosmetology, almost four months since I took my State Board and obtained my license (holla at ya girl!) and 3 months since I got a job working at Regis. Yup, I am officially a working stylist!!!

Bad, Chase, bad!!! :-)

Things have been busy and hectic and I've been lazy. (I need to take that word out of my vocabulary.) But yes, things are going very well for me. I can't believe that it's been over a year and a half since I started my journey to set out to do what I love and working as a stylist is a dream come true.

Things have been so great, I can't believe that it's all worked out for me as well as it has. I am truly blessed and I just wanted to share what's been up in the world of me.

Another event happening in my life? We are now apartment shopping. We have one place that we hope to get so for all of you who read my blogs, cross your fingers!

Thanks for reading! LOVE YOU ALL!!!

Graduation!!! ... Now What?

okay, now that I've had some time to actually relax from a busy prior week as well as weekend...

Graduation Day... the day on which I completed the required 1600 hours of education mandated by California in order to attend State Board in order to obtain my license which I had to take out 2 student loans for so that I can become a licensed Cosmetologist....

it was a day that was bittersweet to say the least. no more getting up early to sit in traffic to roll my kit up to my station, no more two hours of theory, no more smoke breaks with my friends, no more talking and listening to my favorite teachers...

I can still remember the first day of school, sitting all giddy and freaked out, wondering what I was going to learn. Would I be able to retain all the information? Would I even be good at this profession? Luckily enough... the answer to these questions is a resounding yes!!! thank god!

now it is time for me to put all I've learned to the test and see if what I've gained from Cosmo school is enough for me to be a successful stylist.

i will have to rely on myself now to know the difference between a cold wave and a soft curl perm, a thio and a hydroxide, the different angles of a haircut, the arc of a developer's strength and the tone of someones skin or hair...

-okay, enough with the sorrowful diatribe-

though i am sad to have completed my schooling, i also see it as the close to a chapter in my life to self-improvement. I've come to believe that my decision in going to Cosmetology school was one of the best things i ever decided to do for myself. to be surrounded by people with such passion and creativity was intimidating and inspiring all at once to the point it could be overwhelming. Cosmo school has also given me challenges that I know I would never received and overcame had I continued working in the job i had before I decided to go to school.

i also know that i wouldn't have been able to graduate had i not had the love and support of these wonderful people...

-my parents-

thank you for always saying you were proud of me in what I've accomplished and showing happiness in my success as well as always praying for me and believing in me.

-my sisters-

thank you for always coming in for me to work on you, even though we bickered, we always had more laughs than i can even remember and it helped make memorable days at my school

-my grandparents-

thank you for always being so readily available to pick up the babies from school on the days that i was in school.

-my in laws-

thank you for allowing us to live with you so that i could pursue my dream to start a new career in a profession that i LOVE!

-my babies-

thank you for always loving mommy through this long journey and always greeting me with a smile when i come home from a long day at school

-my instructors-

Ms. Renee, Mr. Joe, Ms. Kim and Ms. Belinda - i have learned so much from you and i am so grateful because this knowledge will be the tools that i use to take care of my family as i go out into the world. everything that you have taught me is invaluable and i am so grateful to have had all of you as my teachers!

and last but not least...

-my hubby-

thank you so much, my love for always having faith in me, even when i didn't have enough in myself. thank you for putting up with the tears of frustration, listening to my rants of OCD-perfectionism, hugging me when i was upset and rejoicing with me when i accomplished a particularly hard obstacle. this year was definitely a hard one, but i totally agree with you in that this is the happiest we have ever been because you put me first and wanted me to be happy over all. thank you for working so hard to provide for this family AND give me all the things that i wanted and needed -but mostly wanted- for school and for myself. i am truly blessed to have a wonderful ride-or-die man protecting and loving me as good as you do!

now... State Board... i hope you're ready for me, cuz here i come. ;-)

a quick glance at 13-months and 1600 hours in Cosmo school




First Day of School!



how i learned that i HATE doing nails... lol

gotta get your head in the game...


first of many friends


first full on haircut...back when i was afraid to cut hair




i will CT you!




coloring outside the lines!


cutting off my hair for my current style


Long Beach Hair Show


GRADUATION DAY! oh what a JOURNEY it has been!

The End Is Nigh..!

Graduation... it's looming for me. In 11 days to be exact. I can't believe that I made it through the whole program! I remember my first day... so full of excitement and also a lot of nervousness. Thoughts like, "did I make the right choice?" "Will I be good at this?" "What if I fail?"

I can honestly say I made one of the best choices ever by attending Cosmetology school. All of the milestones that happened during my education (Phase 2, making Gold Team, finally "getting" how to cut hair, Phase 3, finals, etc) just added to the wonderful memories that I will take away with me once I clock out for that last time.

I have so many people to be thankful for though. They are half of the whole reason I was able to put so much effort into this program. My parents, my sisters, my in laws, my grandparents, my friends and my husband. They are all the reason I was able to commit to my dream. They will always have my gratitude!

Cut Crease Tutorial

Reflection...

tonight's blog is going to be a reflective one.

i know that i don't write as often as i like, due to time constraints and plain and pure laziness... but this is something that's been on my mind for awhile now...

lately, i've been asking myself a serious question: am i selling myself short when it comes to my career? the reason i ask is this. i am surrounded by passion driven people at school every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. some of my classmates have dreams of owning their own salons, working as celebrity stylists and make up artists, even moving to LA or New York to pursue their careers. now there isn't anything wrong with these dreams at all...

-except-

why don't i have these dreams? why don't i want to become a celebrity stylist or MUA? why am i content to stay here and work here when people tell me that i can go so far in this industry.

i had to ask my husband if something was wrong with me. why didn't my dreams reach beyond the borders of the Bay Area? who doesn't want to open their own salon or move to LA or New York?

i've been wondering this particular aspect about myself for awhile now. a couple of weeks at the most. i've had to sit back and really think back to why i even got involved in the beauty industry to begin with. i decided to pursue this career because i like, no i love, making women (and men) feel like they look their best. i love making a person feel so much more confident when they leave then when they first stepped into the salon doors. i figure, there are a lot more regular, ordinary people who want to feel like a celebrity. like someone important.

i remember we were told to write our mission statement for school several months in, and i remember writing some ridiculous paragraph having to do with being the absolute best in my industry and blah blah blah. now there's nothing wrong with that. i truly believe that when pursuing a career, you should do your absolute best and have goals set out for you. the problem with my particular mission statement was that it had absolutely nothing to do with why i got into the industry. i got into this industry not to be famous, but to make people feel like they are famous when they sit in my chair.

now what does this have to do with reflecting and all of that? i guess i just needed to take a step back and reread my mission statement. just like my husband said, it's ok that i don't want to move to LA or New York. it's ok that i don't want to own my own salon - at least not yet. and i don't even think i want to try and work for celebrities. i need to remember that i'm perfectly fine with staying in my small hometown where all my friends and family are and where i can work my magic in my home area. i would much rather spread that happiness here where people need it rather than in a hoity toity kinda place where brown nosing is a necessity.

the point i had to make for myself was that i'm living my dream. i love my schooling and i will also love my job once i graduate. it doesn't matter where i go or what i do as long as i'm happy with what i'm doing. that's definitely something that requires deep thinking and reflection.

GOLD TEAM BABY!!!

I DID IT!!! i achieved my goal of Gold Team in Cosmetology School! What is a Gold Team Member, you ask? Remember the "Dean's List in school ? Basically the same thing. We mentor new students and are recognized for excellence and achievements in school. I just wanted to share this with you! This was one of my goals ever since the first few months of theory and now, 9 months into school I DID IT!!! Such a HAPPY DAY!!!