5 Purple MAC Lipsticks: Heroine, Violetta, Up The Amp, Play Time, Quite Cute, review and swatches.

I picked out five MAC lipsticks that are all red-based purples to share with you here. I've always been a fan of purple lipsticks!

Heroine was just released with the Reel Sexy collection. It's a great matte plum.
Violetta is a pro shade that's also a plum, but this one's an amplified finish with a pretty sheen.
Up The Amp is a lighter than Violetta, but slightly dirty in comparison
Play Time is an even lighter pinkish-purple with a cremesheen finish.
Quite Cute is more of a lavender than a purple. This one is also a cremesheen finish.

So, how do you feel about purple lipsticks? Do you like a bold purple or maybe something than leans a bit more pink?

♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus

NOTD: OPI Nicki Minaj Pink Friday & OPI Katy Perry Teenage Dream

Today's NOTD is OPI Nicki Minaj Pink Friday and a top coat of OPI Katy Perry Teenage Dream. I realized after I did that that my last NOTD post was another pink glitter combination. Oh well, I guess that tells you how much I like them! Isn't it pretty?

♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus

China Glaze Collection: Bohemian Colors, official product photos and promo info

China Glaze Bohemian Luster Chrome Collection - Official US Release Date: July 2012
Oooo, I just love duochromes! This collection looks like it's going to be a lot of fun! I also love the dark tone of the collection, not your typical summer shades.

Press Release:

Unpredic table -
Rare And Radiant -
Swanky Silk -
No Plain Jane -
Want My Bawdy -
Deviantly Daring -

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. They are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com

China Glaze Collection: On Safari, official product photos and promo info

China Glaze On Safari Collection - Official US Release Date: June 2012

Press Release:


I'm Not Lion - 
I Herd That - 
Kalahari Kiss - 
Desert Sun -
Elephant Walk - 
Exotic Encounter - 
Jungle Queen - 
Call of the Wild -
Manhunt - 
Purr-fect Plum - 
Prey Tell - 
Adventure Red-y -

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. They are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com

China Glaze Collection: Summer Neons 2012, official product photos and promo info

China Glaze Summer Neons Collection - Official US Release Date: June 2012

Press Release:

The sun has nothing on you this summer! Rival its brightness and heat with China Glaze® Summer 2012 collection, Summer Neons. Featuring 12 new sizzling shades perfect for surf, sand and nightlife, the all new hot hues in China Glaze Summer Neons include:

Love’s A Beach - Sizzling hot pink
Hang-Ten Toes - Bubblegum neon with iridescent purple shimmer
Beach Cruise-r - Glimmering fuchsia grape
Under The Boardwalk -  Fluorescent raspberry
Ride The Waves - Dark ocean blue
Splish Splash - Bright sky blue shimmer
I’m With The Lifeguard - Glimmering lime green
Sun-Kissed - Hot highlighter yellow
Orange You Hot - Bright orange with attention-grabbing gold glimmer
Surfin’ For Boys - Glistening bright coral
Flirty Tankini - Shimmery strawberry smoothie pink
Pink Plumeria - Light pink with gold shimmer

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. They are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com

Over 100,000 Pageviews

My blog finally hit 100,000 page views today! I started this blog in 2009 but didn't add much content until 2011. For the past few weeks I've been modifying my design little by little. What do you think? Is it easier to navigate? I added a few links in my top tabs like reviews, swatches, and nail polish so you can see those specific types of posts. I'm also working on posting better nail polish swatches along with information on current collections. My drafts folder has almost fifty new posts in it that I'm still working on editing and uploading. I've been a very busy little lady!

Also, this is the new address for my blog: asoftblackstar.com

Thanks for reading!

♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus

4-Year Etsy Anniversary Giveaway! [ENDED]

I am very excited to be celebrating my four year anniversary of opening my asoftblackstar Etsy store. I wanted to share something special with my readers, so I thought I would collect a bunch of makeup goodies together from some of my favorite brands to share with one lucky winner. I've gathered eleven different products from Urban Decay, MAC Cosmetics, Tarte Cosmetics, and Bobbi Brown. It's got eyeshadow, eyeshadow primer, mascara, eyeliner, lipgloss, makeup remover -- almost an entire look! Also, I am submitting one of my makeup brush roll designs in black and white damask fabric. It has twelve slots and holds both long-handled and short-handled, and either full size or travel size makeup brushes.You can also use it for eyeliners, lipliners, lipglosses, or anything of similar size.

Medium Size Damask Makeup Brush Roll by asoftblackstar
MAC Cosmetics Jealousy Wakes eyeshadow
MAC Cosmetics Plush Lash Mascara
MAC Cosmetics Liquid Eyeliner in Boot Black
MAC Cosmetics Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline
Urban Decay matte eyeshadow in Electric
Urban Decay matte eyeshadow in Chronic
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, travel size
Tarte Cosmetics Vitamin-Infused Lipgloss in 40 Winks
Tarte Cosmetics Vitamin-Infused Lipgloss in Apple-A-Day
Bobbi Brown Instant Long-Wear Makeup Remover, travel size
Bobbi Brown Extreme Party mascara, travel size

4 Year Etsy Anniversary SALE

I opened my Etsy store, asoftblackstar, on April 21st, 2008. Has it been four years already? So far I've had 1,742 sales and I've sewn over 1,800 items. To celebrate, I'm having an anniversary sale.

Save 20% off In-Stock items from
April 21st through April 30th with coupon code:
4yearSALE
You must enter the code at checkout to receive the discount.
Sorry, there is no discount on custom-made items.

It pleases me to no end that I am able to provide people with something functional, practical, affordable, and handmade.When I started making these brush rolls, it was because I myself needed one and I couldn't find one in stores that I really liked. So, I designed my own in cute durable, washable damask fabric. I added them to my Etsy store, and people went crazy for them!

My makeup brush rolls come in three different sizes to fit your needs -- whether you have five makeup brushes or thirty plus -- and there are so many fabrics to choose from! I offer damask, leopard print, zebra print and more. Don't forget that Mother's Day is right around the corner. Make sure to order early, and let your friends know they can get a discount, too. Stay informed about my new products and sales by liking my page on Facebook.

Please note that the sale is on in-stock items only. That excludes custom color combinations, makeup brush belts, custom travel sets, and MUA brush rolls.

My customers always say the sweetest things about my products! Take a look at my feedback section and read all of their lovely reviews.

asoftblackstar.etsy.com

♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus

MAC In Extra Dimension, photos, swatches, and review

MAC In Extra Dimension Warm Thunder photo, swatch, review

When I first read the promo material for the MAC In Extra Dimension Collection, here, I was worried that the "liquid-powder formula" was something close to the creamy Metal-X formula. It's not at all! I only picked up one item from the collection, partly because I wanted to read everyone else's reviews before jumping in. Warm Thunder is a light blueish silver shade. These shadows can be used either wet or dry, I personally prefer to use them wet. The texture is extremely soft and easy to blend.

♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus

NOTD: Pink Glitter

OPI's Sparrow Me The Drama from the Pirates of The Caribbean collection Summer 2011 is probably my favorite pink nail polish. It's gorgeous on its own, but I added a layer of OPI's This Little Piggy... over the top for some sparkle! It's a medium gilded rose-pink micro-glitter from the Brights Collection.  It's a super feminine combination, don't you think?

♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus

MAC Pro: Fall Trend Palettes 2012

I just received an email from MAC PRO featuring their Fall Trend Palettes for 2012. From the promo photo, you can see the shadows are creamy.

Fall trend colours. Six for eyes, six for lips, each in a streamlined palette. For Artists and makeup lovers, here's everything you need - from cool to bright - to stylishly switch seasons. 

Fall Trend Eye Palette - USD $38.00

Six key shades that define the high-drama eyes of Fall '12 in the creamy textures and new runway-favoured shades of Dark Currant, Smoked Paprika, Blazer, Pepper-Salt, Delft and Nature Fibre. Limited edition.

Fall Trend Lip Palette - USD $38.00

The six key shades and finishes of Fall '12 in one streamlined palette. Lips go boldly, brightly on trend or seasonally neutral with shades of French Nougat, Classic Nude, Fall for Plum, Spicefire, Harvest and Light Molasses. Limited edition

Anyone can order through MAC PRO in-store or by telephone.

3-Free Nail Polish and 5-Free Nail Polish Brands

3-Free nail polish brands

 What does is mean when a brand says their nail polish is 3-Free? What about 5-Free?

3-Free Nail Polishes contain no Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, or Formaldehyde.

3-Free Brands:
A Beautiful Life, Adoree, a-england, American Apparel, Anise Cosmetics, Aura-Soma, Bari Cosmetics, BB Couture, Beauty Without Cruelty, butter London, China Glaze, Color Club, Creative Nail Design, Deborah Lippmann, Del Sol, Dr’s Remedy, e.l.f., Estee Lauder, Finger Paints, Hard Candy, Jessica Cosmetics, Jordana, Karma Organic Spa, L.A. Girl, Lancome, Le Metier, MAC Cosmetics, M2M Jon Natural Nail, Manglaze, Milani, Misa Cosmetics, My Earth, NARS Cosmetics, Niyot, OPI, Priti NYC, RJMineral Cosmetics, Savina, SolarActive, Soulstice Spa, SpaGlo, Spa Ritual, Wet N Wild, Zoya


5-Free Nail Polish contain no Dibutyl Phthalate, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, or Camphor.

5-Free Brands:
Catrice, Chanel, Dashing Diva, Dior, Essence, Givenchy, Hopscotch Kids, L’Oreal, Nubar, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, Revlon, RGB, Scotch Naturals, Uslu Airlines

♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus

China Glaze Prismatic Chroma Glitters, photos, swatches, and review.

China Glaze Polarized and Ray-Diant

I recently picked up two colors from the China Glaze Spring 2012  Prismatic Chroma Glitter collection: Ray-Diant, and Polarized. You can see the promo info here. The display at Sally's was woefully low, and I picked up the only colors they had. I hope to go back and pick up both the pink glitter and the green glitter when they've restocked. Polarized is a silver micro glitter with medium hexagonal multicolored glitters. Ray-Diant is a gold micro-glitter with medium hexagonal multicolored glitters. They look very similar. Each swatch has two coats applied.

China Glaze Polarized

China Glaze Ray-Diant

 ♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus

NARS Color Collection, Summer 2012 Campaign, official product photos and promo info

NARS Summer 2012 Color Collection

The NARS Summer 2012 Collection is a delicious cocktail of warm earth tones and brazen shimmers. Francois Nars has  designed a collection where eyes glisten in icy peach and matte apricot, or shine in iridescent orchid and blue. HE has created lips are subtle in a glossy nude beige pink, or bold in matte strawberry red. Lastly, he finishes with a delicate seashell pink for nails.  The overall look is sizzling, sophisticated and simply unforgettable.

Ramatuelle Trio Eyeshadow Silver / Icy peach / Apricot $45.00
Marie-Galante Duo Eyeshadow Iridescent orchid / Iridescent regal blue $34.00
Vendanges Sheer Lipstick Sheer grape $24.00
Never Say Never Velvet Matte Lip Pencil Lilac rose $24.00
Buenos Aires Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil Nude beige pink $24.00
Liberté Blush Burnished apricot $28.00
Moscow Pure Matte Lipstick Strawberry red $25.00
Calabria Soft Touch Pencil Shimmering plum $24.00
Trouville Nail Polish Seashell pink $18.00

China Glaze Collection: Crackle Glitters, official product photos and promo info

China Glaze Crackle Glitters Summer 2012

Sparkle all summer long with China Glaze®’s new Crackle Glitters collection. Once again taking crackle technology to the next level, this third-generation polish pairs the edgy innovation of crackling nail lacquer with glamorous glitters. The China Glaze® Crackle Glitters features four shimmering shades. The China Glaze® Crackle Glitters collection will be available as open stock colors and four-piece counter display. Individual polishes retail for $9 MSRP and will be available at fine salons and beauty supply stores nationwide in May 2012.

Jade-d - radiant bright green
Gleam Me Up - bright sky blue
Glam-More - bold fuchsia
Luminous Lavender - luscious light purple

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. They are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com

Make Up For Ever Launch: New Aqua Shadow, official photos and promo info

Make Up For Ever just announced their new Aqua Shadow in pencil form.

The latest addition to MAKE UP FOR EVER’S coveted Aqua family is our new Aqua Shadow. Available in 12 shades, our new long-lasting, easy-to-use, smudge-proof eye shadow pencil was created for make up pros working in extreme environments.  As another colorful option in the award winning Aqua range, we’re introducing four new vivid colors of Aqua Cream.  Come check out your favorite waterproof cream color in bright new shades that are perfect for Spring.  Finally, we’re also excited to launch MAKE UP FOR EVER’S first ever eye shadow primer… Eye Prime. This universally flattering, nude eyelid primer is designed to stabilize all eye shadows, intensify color pay off and prevent creasing.

MAC Launch: Hey, Sailor Collection, official product photos and promo info

MAC Hey, Sailor Collection  --  Official US Launch Date: May 24th, 2012

Press Release:

Lipstick - USD $14.50

Red Racer - bright yellow red (satin finish)

To Catch A Sailor - highly frosted tan (frost finish)

Salute! - neutral peach (amplified finish)

Sail La Vie - bright mid-tone orange (satin finish)

Lipglass - USD $14.50

Cut Loose - White gold with pearl

Orange Tempera - Pale peach

Riviera Live - Bright tangerine

Blessedly Rick - Pale coral

Send Me Sailing - Bright yellow red 

Skincare: The Body Shop Blue Corn 3 In 1 Deep Cleansing Mask Scrub

I love exfoliating scrubs. Even more, I love facial masks. I've been using the Blue Corn 3-In-1 Deep Cleansing Mask from The Body Shop for a few months now, and I am hooked. It smells amazing -- not like corn, but fresh. One of the ingredients is Bergamot oil which may contribute to the scent. It contains blue corn powder that gently exfoliates the skin to remove dead skin cells, excess oils, and dirt. I like to apply it immediately after a shower and let it sit for the recommended 10-15 minutes before washing it off with warm water. My skin feels soft and refreshed after using it.

Here is some info straight from The Body Shop on where they source the blue corn:

Our Community Trade blue corn powder is supplied by the Santa Ana Pueblo, a Native American tribe, whose reservation lies close to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Agriculture and blue corn in particular has an important place in Native American religion and customs. Not only does our trade with the Santa Ana provide flexible, secure employment on the reservation, the growing of corn and agriculture enables the tribe to secure its water access and land rights. What's more, it's helping to preserve their cultural heritage and traditional way of life.

This product retails for $17.00 for 4.2oz/100ml

♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus

OPI Collection: Vintage Minnie Mouse, official product photos and promo info

The Vintage Minnie Mouse Collection from OPI is due to be released in June of 2012.

Press Release:

"OPI is so excited to collaborate with Disney and draw inspiration from one of the world’s most popular characters,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI executive VP & artistic director.  “This collection brings together the expertise of OPI and the iconic style of Minnie Mouse to inspire the distinct palette of vibrant, feminine shades for summer. Nails will pop against summer skin in these classic, saturated hues – holding their own alongside the bold prints of the season."

Nothin’ Mousie ‘bout It - Don’t squeak it – SHOUT IT! This confetti light pink is tops!
If You Moust You Moust - You gotta pink what you gotta pink.
I’m All Ears - Tell me how much you love this magenta shimmer. 
The Color of Minnie - You had this little mouse at “red.”

OPI is available at professional salons, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA.
Suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer is $8.50 ($10.95 CAN).
OPI is a 3-Free brand.

MAC Launch: Fashion Sets, Lips & Tips, official product photos and promo info

MAC Fashion Sets Collection  --  Official US Launch Date: May 5th, 2012

Preliminary Information: The European release might have different colors than the US release. The US launch might contain: Snob, Pink Nouveau, Please me, Girl about Town, Russian Red, Impassioned and Morange.

Press Release:


Lipglass - 4.8 g / 0.17 oz - USD $14
Impassioned (amped-up fuchsia)
Morange (loudmouth orange)
Myth (light neutral nude)
Rebel (midtonal cream plum)
Russian Red (intense blueish-red)
Saint Germain (clean pastel pink)
Spice (pink cinnamon stick)

MAC Reel Sexy Collection, photos, swatches, and review

These are the five items from the MAC Reel Sexy collection that I picked up last week. I love this red-based purple lipstick called Heroine! I had a color just like when I was fifteen and it was one of my favorites. Now, I know that MAC released a lipstick called Heroine previously in another shade. It was with the Wonder Woman collection last year and it was shimmery bronze-brown. That might be confusing if you search for "MAC Heroine" online. Why use the same name twice?

Reel Sexy lipstick is described by MAC as "light bright coral" with an amplified finish. It's a bright orange opaque color.

Star Quality is the only lipglass I picked up from this collection. It's a cremesheen which means it isn't sticky or tacky like other MAC lipglosses. It's described by MAC as a "bright orange coral" but I honestly see more red in it than coral.

Pink Cult blush is described by MAC as a "mid-tone neutral pink" and I think it's the most neutral shade I own. It has a matte finish.

Magenta blush is described by MAC as a "bright magenta," and that it is! I applied it on my cheeks mistakenly thinking it would be like the blushes from the Tres Cheek collection that I had just swatched (I was on a roll) and were sheer and buildable.... This is much more opaque coverage. Magenta is too dark for my fair skin, but I image it would look amazing on deeper skincolor.

Someone asked me how Magenta compared to Azalea, so I've pulled out a few blushes from my collection to give you an idea of what MAC has that's similar. It's not as bright as Full Fuchsia or Azalea. It's darker than Coygirl but still in the same color tone. I'm not sure why I added Breezy, it doesn't match anything.

♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus

China Glaze Colours From The Capitol, photos, swatches, and review.

I recently picked up two colors from the new China Glaze Colours From The Capitol collection in Fast Track and Hook and Line. See the promo info here. When I bought these at Sally's the display stand was really low on color options, so I do hope to add more to this post later. I applied two coats of polish in each photo.

Fast Track is a neutral/nude/beige with micro shimmer that's green tinted gold. It's more beautiful in person than these photos! It reminds me of OPI DS Classic, similar, but not a dupe.

Hook and Line is a metallic grey that leans a little brown. It does have some streakiness to it, which tends to be a feature in metallic polishes.

China Glaze Fast Track swatch

China Glaze Hook and Line swatch

♥ ♥ ♥
Lotus