MAC Bloggers' Obsessions Collection Series Part 4: Toronto Trip and MAC Production Tour

This is a continuation of my account of the MAC Bloggers' Obsessions Collection experience. To read about the Bloggers' Obsessions color story and product information, click here. To learn about the inspiration behind my creative concept for this collection, the Sonoran Rain lipglass, check out MAC Bloggers' Obsession Collection Series Part 2: The Sonoran Rain Lipglass Inspiration. To see the step-by-step creation of my creative concept, Sonoran Rain lipglass, check out MAC Bloggers' Obsessions Collection Part 3: The Making of Sonoran Rain Lipglass.

Shortly after I was informed that my creative concept for the Sonoran Rain lipglass would be included in the MAC Bloggers' Obsession collection, I and eight other beauty bloggers whose shades were chosen to be part of the Bloggers' Obsession Collection (Amber, Christine, Ellen, Karen, Lianne, Lily, Patrice, Wendy) were flown to Toronto, Canada. Part of our activities included a tour of the MAC production facilities in Markham, Ontario before mixing our respective shades for the collection.


View from the car on the way to the hotel



MAC Bloggers' Obsessions Collection Part 3: The Making of Sonoran Rain Lipglass

To learn about the inspiration behind my creative concept for this collection, the Sonoran Rain lipglass, check out MAC Bloggers' Obsession Collection Series Part 1: The Sonoran Rain Lipglass Inspiration.



To continue my story, I and eight other beauty bloggers whose shades were chosen to be part of the Bloggers' Obsession Collection (Amber, Christine, Ellen, Karen, Lianne, Lily, Patrice, Wendy) were flown to Toronto, Canada to tour the MAC production facilities in Markham, Ontario, and to personally mix our shades for the products.  I will make a separate entry on the MAC production facilities in Bentley and what we did in Toronto.  This account shall be on how the Sonoran Rain lipglass was created with the help of the amazing Stella, my MAC chemist, and her assistant Kate.


The first two prototypes of Sonoran Rain

MAC Bloggers' Obsessions Collection Series Part 2: The Sonoran Rain Lipglass Inspiration

This is a continuation of my story on how I and eight other beauty bloggers were tapped to go to the MAC Markham headquarters in Ontario, Canada to create our very own eye shadow or lipglass shade for an online exclusive collection called Bloggers' Obsessions. I already knew the colors I wanted to submit for this creative concept. The lipglass shade I was thinking has to be uniquely personal to me and intimately connected to my personal life. What can be more personal to a person than the place where he/she is living and thriving?



I live in the beautiful Sonoran desert and I have come to love the lonely but majestic landscape. I love the palette of terracotta browns, burnt oranges, golds, and reds of this desert landscape. Everywhere I go, this intermixture of beautiful warm colors greets me via the hills, mountains and earth of this arid region. I'd thought, "Why not turn this beautiful palette of colors inspired by the grandeur of nature into a product shade?". However, I just didn't want another shade inspired by the Sonoran desert. I wanted to depict the colors of the desert but with a unique twist. Much has been said about Sonoran sunsets or Grand Canyon-inspired shades and colors, but not a lot has been mentioned about the Sonoran desert during the monsoon season, which is about August through September here.


Photo Credit: roocat.deviantart.com


Photo Credit: roocat.deviantart.com

See swatches after the jump

MAC Bloggers' Obsessions Collection Series Part 1: Bloggers' Obsessions Color Story

Ahhhh, I can finally share with you guys the good news! Last January, I was invited by MAC Cosmetics to submit a creative concept for an eyeshadow and/or a lipglass for an upcoming MAC Bloggers' Collection. I don't know how many bloggers were invited to participate in this project, but I was glad to have been chosen as one of the entrants. We were asked to fill out the submission form outlining shade concepts for the eye and lip products. In addition, we were also encouraged to submit images/collages to accompany the submission form to further depict the inspiration for the shades.

I submitted my lipglass and eye shadow creative concepts and in late March, I was informed by MAC Cosmetics that my lipglass shade was chosen as part of the MAC Bloggers' Obsession Collection! I was over the moon with excitement. I have always liked MAC Cosmetics and a MAC customer since 2001, but never in my wildest dreams did I think that one day I would be able to create my own MAC lipglass shade.

The other bloggers who are part of this amazing collection are Amber, Christine, Ellen, Karen, Lianne, Lily, Patrice, Wendy.

Introducing the MAC Bloggers' Obsession color story and product information (click to enlarge):



Here is my video account of this amazing experience, with some swatches of my lipglass creation, Sonoran Rain:



To learn about the inspiration behind my creative concept for this collection, the Sonoran Rain lipglass, check out MAC Bloggers' Obsession Collection Series Part 2: The Sonoran Rain Lipglass Inspiration. To see the step-by-step creation of my creative concept, Sonoran Rain lipglass, check out MAC Bloggers' Obsessions Collection Part 3: The Making of Sonoran Rain Lipglass. To take a virtual tour of the MAC Production lab and read my account, check out MAC Bloggers' Obsessions Collection Series Part 4: Toronto Trip and MAC Production Tour.

Expert Tips to Fix Stubbornly Straight Eyelashes

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Expert Tips to Fix Stubbornly Straight Eyelashes -- Finally

See these professional tips from celebrity makeup artist Taylor Chang-Babaian to finally get those lashes to curl and stay curled


Expert Tips to Fix Stubbornly Straight Eyelashes -- Finally

This is a TotalBeauty.com Asian makeup article

There are some things in this world that are inexplicable, but one mystery Total Beauty was intent on solving was stubbornly-straight eyelashes. Why do some lashes just refuse to curl? Well, we went to an expert and finally found the reason and solutions to this dilemma. See the expert tips to fix straight eyelashes now.

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Quench Your Dry Hair

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Quench Your Dry Hair

These 7 expert tips are easy to follow and can revitalize your quenched hair -- stat


Quench Your Dry Hair

This is a TotalBeauty.com dry hair article

While we're thankful we can bypass Mother Nature's intended shade for us, coloring our hair also makes it more susceptible to damage. For tips on how to best keep your color-treated hair healthy and lush looking, click below.

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How To Keep Your Makeup From Melting

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How to Keep Your Makeup from Melting

Going to an outdoor wedding or just fighting the daily onslaught of humidity? Check out these tips to keep your makeup from dripping


How to Keep Your Makeup from Melting

This is a TotalBeauty.com makeup article

I'm going to an outdoor wedding in the sticky hot month of June and to prep for the guaranteed makeup meltdown, I went to celebrity makeup artist Fiona Stiles to get the lowdown on keeping my face from running down my couture.

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New NYX Round Lipstick Shades for Summer 2011 Swatches and Review




NYX’s Round Lipstick provides rich, saturated color with a velvety-texture and moisturizing benefits. With long-lasting, non-smudging properties, NYX’s Round Lipstick will instantly become the go-to weapon in your beauty arsenal.

Available in 144 shades—from barely-there nudes to vampy reds to punchy pinks- including 24 new hues for Summer 2011!!

New 24 NYX Round Lipstick Shades:



Swatches and review after the jump

Summer Nail Look: China Glaze OMG Nail Polish in TMI

As I had mentioned in a previous post, I was amazed to find an OMG collection from China Glaze tucked along with some really dusty collections on a top shelf in a beauty supply store, languishing all alone as it was the last one available. It was waiting for me all this time!! And I paid dirt-cheap for this set. I really love the thrill of the hunt.


The OMG 2BHOT collection!!
L-R: QT, TMI, TTYL, FYI, GR8, L8R G8R

Here is one of my favorites from the OMG collection, TMI. It is summer so it's perfect to wear out on the beach or in the park, just where sunlight can hit it to show off its holo-y goodness:








holding my Nook

It's a beautiful coral holo that looks breathtaking in direct sunlight. Don't drive while you're wearing this, you can get too distracted!

Reader Q&A: How to Get Flawless Skin

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Reader Q&A: How to Get Flawless Skin

Check out these easy ways to improve your complexion with diet and exercise


Reader Q&A: How to Get Flawless Skin

This is a TotalBeauty.com clear skin article

This week, reader Anna from New Jersey asked, which one food group should I banish from my diet if I want my skin to look great? And, is there any sort of exercise that will improve my skin? See what celebrity fitness and lifestyle coach, Ashley Borden had to say…

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YSL Volupte Sheer Candy Review









Here is a new addition to the Yves Saint Laurent Volupte lipstick line- the new Volupte Sheer Candy comes in six delicious variants and, as the name suggests, quite sheer but loaded with moisturizing properties. The innovative formula consists of 35% lip care ingredients. YSL claims that the lips are hydrated immediately and eight hours after application - how cool is that?

Review after the jump

MAC Surf Baby Eye Shadows, Hibiscus and Bust Out Lipsticks Swatches Part Deux







Here are some product photos and swatches of the MAC Surf Baby eye shadows and lipsticks. I have completed my collection of these items so I am posting complete swatches. I have also talked about this collection to death with the exception of the new products that I got, so those are the ones that I will be talking about in this entry.

Swatches after the jump

NEW Zoya Touch Collection 2011


2011 limited edition, full coverage nude nail colors
TOUCH
soft sensual sexy

Zoya Nail Polish presents 3 new, full coverage nude nail polish shades designed to coordinate with a variety of skin tones ranging from light to dark. Each softly kissed with a bit of metallic to make them ultra wearable.


Zoya TOUCH Collection




Minka (ZP561) - latte beige cream with a metallic kiss

Shay (ZP562) - desert rose sand beige cream with a metallic kiss

Pandora (ZP563) - mauve beige cream with a metallic kiss

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

The Zoya TOUCH collection was designed to recreate the custom looks developed for and inspired by the runways of New York Fashion Week.

Check out the Zoya Touch video:



Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find Zoya TOUCH as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

TOUCH by Zoya
PRE-ORDER May 25 - May 31, 2011

shipping JUNE 1, 2011

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl. oz. bottle (US)

Look Younger with 16 Best Anti-Aging Products

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Look Younger with 16 Best Anti-Aging Products

There are so many anti-aging skin care products out there, but we suggest saving your money for the ones that really work from this list


Look Younger with 16 Best Anti-Aging Products

This is a TotalBeauty.com anti-aging skin care article

We scoured thousands of Total Beauty reader reviews in order to bring you a list of the best items. From that search, we found the anti-aging products women not only love, but also swear by to turn back the clock.

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No. 16: Murad Essential-C Daily Renewal Complex, $92

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9.1


"After using it for about six weeks, my skin tone is much more even, the dark blotches on my neck have faded noticeably, and my fine lines are fading."

No. 15: Olay Regenerist Regenerating Serum, $27.74

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9.1


"The reduction in the 'laugh' lines is amazing and my skin looks and feels so much smoother."

No. 14: Philosophy Turbo Booster C Powder, $25

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 9.2


"You know something is going right when your husband of 10 years tells you your face is looking good -- with no makeup on!"

Want to see what other products made the list? Click here!

OPI Pirates of The Caribbean Swatches and Review

I've had this collection for almost a month now, but I was only able to swatch these last weekend. A lot of muted colors in this collection. I can't say this is a favorite, but at least OPI decided to veer away from the usual pastels.


Mermaid's Tears





Mermaid's Tears is a muted aqua to my eyes. Very springy and refreshing.


Stranger Tides





Stranger Tides is one of my favorites from this collection. It's like a dusty mint green cream. Reminds me of American Apparel in Army Jacket, but I think Stranger Tides is a bit more muted.


Steady as She Rose





Steady as She Rose is a very pale rose cream. It makes my hands look washed out. Meh.


Planks A Lot





Planks A Lot is my favorite along with Stranger Tides. I am a sucker for purples and this one is no exception. It's more muted than grape purple, but darker than lavender. Very pretty shade.


Skull and Glossbones





Skull and Glossbones is like a dirty greyish green to my eyes. Very clean-looking but a bit too dull for me.


Sparrow Me the Drama





Sparrow Me the Drama is a muted pink cream. Very barbie-ish but on the lighter side.

All in all, I am not too impressed with the colors. They are all a bit too dull and light to me, although I love Stranger Tides and Planks A Lot. Of course, those who love neutrals and muted colors will love this collection. This is a nice collection for summer and for office wear. I can always dress this up with some Konad and pearls/rhinestones like what I did with Sparrow Me The Drama, so it's all good.

The Shades Of U Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars