Want Alternative MAC Brushes for Cheaper Prices?

Hey guys! Michaels is having their annual lowest prices of the season starting on April 6 to 12. Loew-Cornell brushes will be up to 50% off the original ticketed price. Make sure to detach the 40% off coupon on the ads if you do receive one in the mail.

click to enlarge
Sorry... the brushes are dirty!
My fave Loew-Cornell brushes (the brushes are made of natural hair):

1) 3/4 Maxine's Mop: I use this brush to contour/define my cheeks,jawlines, and sides of the nose. The brush works wonderfully and the bristles are really soft to blend out the coutouring color. I like this brush better than the MAC 168, which is also used for coutouring or applying blushes. This '3/4' brush is fluffed round tip and soft to contour on the sides of the nose. Yes, this brush is used for Art purposes but seriously I have used this brush for over a month now and it does not have any scratchy feeling. By the way, the handle is purple! I believe I got this brush for over $10 with 25% off. Ohh, I noticed that RenRen has used this brush couple times on her tutorials for contouring.

2) 3/8 Maxine's Mop: I love love love this brush. It is my alternative brush to MAC 239. It works well with e/s and pigments; really grabs the color and/or pigments. The bristles are very soft but firm enough to adhere pigments or loose powders. I got this brush for $3! Love it!! Ohh, purple handle too!

3) 1/4 Maxine's Mop: This brush is almost the same version of the 3/8 Maxine's Mop but smaller in size. I would say this brush is identical to MAC 231. I mainly use this brush to shade my inner eyes/corner. Very soft and dense bristles. Another keeper for a cheaper price *yelling* $2!!

4) 1/4 AMM Mini Mop: This brush is an alternative to MAC 225 but smaller than the 224. I like this brush for shading and blending eyeshadows. The fibers are very soft and it can be used to wash out bold colors or for light e/s applications. The handle is green! About $4-7... not sure!

5) LC #6 AmericanPainter in 4500 Filbert: This is almost similar to MAC 249 but much smaller and the bristles are longer. The texture feels the same as the 249 and it works well for lips application or concealer in small areas. I use this brush to apply MAC Tinted Lip Balm in 'Petting Pink'. It really digs into the lines of my lips. The handle is pinkish-tan color. $2.50.

6) 3/4 Expression Robert Simmons E52 Oval Mop: This brush is super duper soft and awesome for defining the cheekbones and sides of the nose. The brush can also be used for blush application using circular motions. I want to say this brush is almost similar to MAC 192 but not as full and softer, IMO. I love using this brush for my cheeks because it really picks up the color and I don't need to swipe three-four times to really get the color to show up. Also, this brush is amazing in defining smaller cheekbones or cheeks that most Asian girls have (like me). I think I got it around $12.

Now that you got a taste of my fave LC brushes, are you going to grab one during the sales? If you're at least thinking of getting one, I suggest the '3/8 Maxine's Mop' because it works as well as MAC 239.

You can also order the brushes online: http://www.rexart.com/loe_asst_nat_brushes.html
I still think it's cheaper to get the brushes online but if you don't want to pay for shipping then check out Michaels instead.

I'll be picking more brushes as back-ups.

Can't Get Enough of MAC: More Hauls

Happy April Fool's Day my fellow readers and bloggers!!

Here is another post of my recent MAC and CCO hauls. During the past weekend, the hubby and I took the kids to L.A. for Disneyland. I'm so proud of the hubby that he drove 14 hours round-trip to Vegas and 10 hours round-trip the next day to L.A. without a rest and did not complain once. I guess he could be a truck driver then. Well, at least that may part of his retirement plan, to be a truck driver so he can travel the world (wants me to go with him).
Anyway, my son got sick and the weather there was kind of dull so we decided not to go to Disneyland. Instead, the hubby and I checked out Camarillo Premiun Outlets and Desert Hills Premium Outlets. The hubby is such a shopaholic! Seriously, I was actually the one that always have to wait for him or nag him to leave when it comes to shopping. The hubby shops more than I do and he is soooo into LACOSTE. Anyway, since I am building up my MAC collection I thought I'd show you more of my recent hauls.
I know a lot of my bloggers already have these colors but I'm too proud of my purchases so I'm going to show it anyway. Happy reading/looking!

Click photos to enlarge for close-ups.

Purchases at the MAC counter
e/s top row: star violet, parfait amour, moon's reflection
e/s bottom row: expensive pink, greensmoke, & burnished brown from The Body Shop
Purchases at Desert Hills Premiun CCO
Eyeshadow Left-Right: Fertile, Moonflower, Flashtrack, Zonk Bleu!, & Falling Star
I'm so happy to get MAC 187 for $29.50. I'm so going to return my 187 ($42) back to MAC!!
My daughter's school picture day!
My daughter suggested that I do her hair this way. She is such a brat!
Daddy bought her the shirt! Sorry, hun... I can afford MAC but not Lacoste!

FOTDs: LAS VEGAS the 3-day TRIP

WARNING: This post contains over 20 photos!

Las Vegas, the fourth trip, was so much interesting, fun, and beyond our expectations. We had so much fun especially winning all the time playing single deck blackjack. Shopping was a huge part of our trip. My husband loves loves loves to shop and especially when there is an outlet that has LACOSTE he'll be there. We shopped at the three (3) outlets in Vegas. By far the Las Vegas Premiun Outlet was the best one out of the three. My husband and I decided to shop and gamble in between so that we didn't lose all of our money for nothing. So, after gambling we would shop for all the things that we desired. Fortunately, we lose nothing because we won over $1500 playing blackjack. I didn't play because my husband rather that I stand by him because I'M HIS GOOD LUCK! I don't mind either because if I played and if I lose that means we're doubling our losing. Anyway, technically, all of our purchased items, gas, hotel, car rental, the whole trip was free. It says that "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas", we were the other way around. We brought back home our fortunes. Also, on the way back home we were able to spend the night in Los Angeles and checked out the Camarillo Premiun Outlet.

This trip was the best one out of the last three because we went with just the two of us. We were able to go anywhere freely without someone nagging. My husband was so understanding of my makeup purchases. He was willing to check out and in fact paid for some of my CCO hauls. We're planning for another Vegas trip sometime in September.

MY HEART IS STILL IN VEGAS!

Day 1:

Overlooking the strip from the Stratosphere Tower
I love the makeup done on these girls; a natural beauty.

DAY 2 FOTD (click photos to enlarge):

I'll post up the makeup items I used when I have the chance to go back and search for the items.



DAY 3:
Sorry... not FOTD photos. No makeup on today!


The Garden of 'something' in Bellagio.
My Purchases in Las Vegas CCOs (3 locations):
Top Row: Floral Fantasy, Cosmic, & Aquavert.
Bottom: Rose Blanc, Saturnal, & Seedling (all are $10 each)
Slimeshine l/s in Pleasing ($10.50), Chromeglass in Uberpeach ($11.75), Mattene l/s in Composure ($10.25), & Frost l/s in Propagate ($10.75)
Tinted Lip Conditioner SPF 15 in "Petting Pink" ($11.25) and Rosebound Lipglass Pencil ($9.50)
Top: Aire-de-blu, Viz-A-Violet, Revved-Up, & Mauvement.
Bottom: Cocomotion, Helium, Golden Lemon, & Copperized (all $13.75 each)
MAC Brushes 116 and 217. I was mad because I wanted the 239 and the SA gave me 217 (I found out while already in CA). I now have two 217s.
I actually got these at the MAC PRO in Caesar's Palace.
Top Row: Beautiful Iris, Goldmine, Satellite Dream, Barely Lit l/s, & NW25 Concealer.
Bottow Row: Trace Gold (my fav now), Secret Blush, and brushes 187 & 224 full sizes.
My new lovely Coach. I fell in love with this bag at first sight!
MY NEW LOVE!
The PERFECT wallet to go with my Coach purses. I'm currently owned four Coach bags and 2 wallets.

The Coach stores in Vegas were overcrowded with over 100 people. I waited in line for over an hour just to pay for my bags.

I also bought clothes but not pictured.

Happy Easter Day

Hey guys! Just thought I'd let you know that the hubby and I will leave for LAS VEGAS, our fourth episode, on early Monday morning and return on Wednesday night for our Spring Break. The drive is about seven (7) hours from where we live to Las Vegas. We booked The Palms because they have a special upgrade, which we'll get a second night stay for free when paid $84 for the first night. Not bad at all but I hope the room is more than just standard size! I plan to do some shopping at the premiun outlets and check out CCO. Hopefully, they got new shipments waiting for me. I think we'll probaby stop by L.A. on our way back home. I will post pictures and FOTDs when I get back. In the meantime, I hope you guys are having fun. So, do check back sometime this week.

Shopping: The Cosmetic Company Store, Vacaville, CA.

Hello Ladies! Very very happy day! Yesterday was such a very short day for me. My husband and I shopped all day at Vacaville Premiun Outlet and we got tons of things. I went to the Cosmetic Company Store (CCS) and they have lots of MAC items. However, I only walked away with three items:

1) Lipglass Pencil in "Rosebound", $9.50;
2) Powder Blush in "Whim", $12.25; and
3) Ruffle 3 Tan Lips, lipsticks are "All Revealing" and "Embrace", and lipglass in "Headliner", the set was only $22.50.
Love the packaging. The store has tons of lipglass, lipglosses, lipsticks, blushes, pigments in "pastorale", liquidliners, bags, lipstick sets, and much more. Also, I was going to buy another Coach bag but I decided not to because I've already spent all my money on makeup and on my kids. Maybe next month! Hah!
After shopping at Vacaville, we headed to Sacramento Arden Fair Mall. From the MAC store there, I picked up:

1) Two (2) MAC Pro Eyeshadow Palletes $12 each
2) One (1) Blush pallete $12
3) Fix plus spray $15
Tired tired and hungry hungry so we left for home.
Ohhh... can't wait until Spring Break starting on March 24. If I'm not planning to go to Las Vegas then more FOTDs will be up. More shopping to do! Alright ladies... happy shopping!!

TAGGED: 5 Must NOT Have Items

So today I was tagged by Christy to list or talk about 5 items that I personally considered as "must not haves". Here are my "must not haves":

1) Simply Basic- cosmetic wedges 32 counts: I do not like these wedges at all. They absorbed my liquid foundation and usually gave me that visible streak line on my face. These things do not help blend foundation at all. Unless I needed something to pick up the far-offs or smeared liners under my eyes, I'll maybe grab one. Other than that, I do not recommend it at all. It will waste your foundation, cream, and/or powder.

2)Ion- Heat Protection for Straightening Iron Spray: Yea right! It does not do its job like it was supposed to... protecting hair. I know not to recommend this item because I've been using the entire bottle and it does not help at all. It relaxed my hair the first 10 minutes but after that my hair started to friz and very estatic to things. A NO-NO!!

3)Beyond Belief Alpha Beta Hydoxy Nose Peel: Nose peel for cleaning clogged pores. This product does not clean clogged pores at all. I hate the sour funky smell. It says to help control blackheads but it does not. I can still see blackheads like the next day, literally speaking. I think this product makes my pores seemed larger and more attracted to blackheads.

4)Nairs Hair Removal: I tried this product over and over for about two months and it does not work at all. The working process took forever to remove the hair. I really had to scrub and scrub so hard with the washcloth to remove only few hair. Also, the product does not wash off easily in the shower so using the washcloth wasn't helpful at all. My legs felt like it was burning after using this product.

5)Revlon Brows Plucker: One word: SUCKS!

BE AWARE OF EBAY FAKE MAC!

How many of you have bought fake MAC items off of Ebay thinking you were buying the real ones? Well, stupid me... I never liked buying MAC items off from Ebay but somehow I got myself involved in this crime. I paid for a MAC e/s from an ebay seller named "flavaction" because I was attracted to the bold purple color (you guys know I love purples). Honestly, I wasn't on my right mind when I bidded for the item. Anyway, I was surprisely struck by the fact that the item arrived on my mail just three days after my payment. When I received the item it looked so different and unauthentic. I quickly compared the ebay e/s with the authentic MAC e/s I got from Macy's and it was totally counterfeited. I felt really stupid because I paid $11 for this crap when I can get the real one just a couple dollars more. I guess "greed" was part of my reason as well.

So with that being said and shame shame shame on me, I did a comparison and thought I'd share it with my readers. I hope my readers will not encounter such situations like what I've encountered. I certainly have learned my lesson and will definitely stay away from Ebay unless I'm buying textbooks. However, Ebay is swarming with FAKE MAC PRODUCTS and we really need to be aware of what we're bidding or at least do some research of the sellers (to myself also). You can always review the seller's feedback and check out the negative feedback. I learned that emailing or messaging ebuyers that left negative feedback can sometimes be insightful before we bid.

I am so mad at myself right now I feel like not describing piece by piece of what is real and what is fake. The pictures did a great job showing what fake and authentic MAC products should look like. I hope this helps!!!

BTW, stay away from "flavaction" or his ebay store "Wireless-Enterprise".

The good thing is that the seller is willing to refund my money. Yay!!

FOTD: Spring Lilac Look

Here is an easy and simple Spring lilac look. The colors are very neutral and it's workable for any job title.

(Items used are MAC product unless otherwise stated)
Face:
Strobe Liquid
Prep & Prime Skin
Studio Tech Foundaition NC37
MSF powder in Medium Plus
Renewal Defense Charged Water

Cheeks:
Blossoming Blushcreme
Accentuate Sculpt & Shape

Lips:
Stroke Kiss
Ginger Root
Viva Glam VI lipgloss

Eyes:
Painterly p/p
Nice Vice p/p
Fafi Eyes 1 (Vanilla to highlight, Pink Venus to inner of corner eyes, Hey on outter corner)
Milani e/s in Enchantment on lids and blended upwards
Accentuate Sculpt and Shape to contour eyes





Today I went to check out the Strobe collection. I checked out all the Strobe items but I didn't like any; however, I ended up buying a tinted lip conditioner stick with SPF 15 in Strobe Kiss. I think I'm going to go back for the Stroke Liquid. Also, I was so lucky to get the Fafi blush in Hipness as it was the only one left. I saw another lady was dodging me from my left side when I took the blush. OOPS! Sorry, lady! First come first serve! J/K! Anyway, I decided to try a brow pencil in Spiked because I'm kind of sick of powdering my brows. Check it out!