Hard Candy Blush Crush in Bombshell (MAC MSF dupe!)

Happy Tuesday, beauties! I was strolling through Wal-Mart & decided to check out the Hard Candy section, I've looked through a few times & even purchased some items for a friend overseas but for some reason never picked up anything for myself (THE HORROR!) This product in particular stood out to me because I have a love for all MAC Mineralize Skin Finishes...even with my pro discount, MSF's aren't cheap.  I grabbed the bronziest shade I could find and happily skipped to the checkout (ok, I lied, I just walked).  

The item I picked up is Hard Candy's Blush Crush Baked Blush in Bombshell. I'm such a sucker for packaging & I must say, Hard Candy's packaging is pretty dang fabulous!  I tried to get a good picture of the front of this blush but because of the reflective silver it made it a bit difficult...the best one I could get was this:

 See, told you the packaging was pretty awesome :)

The color Bombshell that I picked up is a medium golden tan with a touch of pink swirled throughout.  I don't see this being a very versatile color for different skin tones because of how orange it could end up looking. The good news is that although it's very pigmented, it can be sheered out with a bit of blending.  It's shimmery without being over the top e.g. no chunky glitter. I'd stay away from this if you have very large pores on your cheeks or wherever else you may apply this because it will definitely accentuate them. The formula is buttery smooth & applies beautifully, just like a MAC MSF. 

These 2 swatches were taken with studio lighting, the left is very heavily swatched & the the right is blended out.

These swatches were taken with natural light outside, as above left is heavily swatched & the right is blended out.

 I got about 4-5 hours of wear before this started to fade, which isn't too bad considering how fast everything fades on me.  The Blush Crush is only $7 & is .28oz (8g) which comes to $25 an ounce whereas MAC Mineralize Skin Finish is $29 for .35oz (10g) and that's about $83 an ounce! That's a huge difference! 

There were 2 other shades available which I'm looking forward to picking up during my next shopping trip.

If you're looking for a great MAC MSF dupe, definitely check these out at Wal-Mart, you won't be disappointed. 

Until next time,

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$300 Summer Beauty Collab Giveaway!

Welcome to the first Summer Beauty Giveaway Event.

Each participating blog is offering a prize worth at least $25 all about beauty!

Make sure to hop around and enter all the giveaways listed. Have fun!


Be sure to enter the $300 grand prize hosted by Glamorousmama, Brunette Mafia,Mcubedmakeup, Ashleyelizabeth,  and Beauty101blog 

*Giveaway will start July 15th and will run till July 29th. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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***CLOSED***Every Drop Beauty Spatula Review (& giveaway)

WINNER PICKED BY USING RANDOM.ORG - CAATERYNA
Well hello strangers! I feel like I haven't posted in FOREVER! Things are finally starting to calm down (somewhat) and I'm so glad to be able to get back to blogging and making videos.  This week is a bit of a "catch-up" week, my fur babies had surgery so I'm here all day & night sitting with them.  While they are sleeping it gives me time to get caught up on my emails, blog posts, Twitter & YouTube!  

So, onto today's review...

I saw this product floating around on Twitter and I was so interested for one reason & one reason only...MAC Studio Fix Foundations.  Now, if you've ever used this foundation before, you know how thick it is, I always feel like there's TONS of product left over that I can't get out.  Since I use these foundations in my kit as well, I like to put them in smaller plastic containers since the glass jar is so heavy, but it breaks my heart every time because I know there's so much stuck down on the bottom that the pump can't pick up. When I saw this product I knew it would be perfect!  When the company sent it to me I just about ripped the postal packaging to shreds I was so stoked to get it open.  I opened my package and saw 2 packages of the Every Drop Beauty Spatula (SAWEEEET!) I immediately went to my cabinet that's been filling up with my Studio Fix bottles and grabbed one. When I took the spatula out, I was really surprised at how long this thing was! 

8 inches long! That was a huge plus for me because I have tons of shampoo, body wash etc., bottles that are pretty tall. I was a little caught off guard with how wide the spatula part was.  Unfortunately, the spatula is flexible, but not flexible enough.  

As you can see in the picture on the left, the spatula is so wide it doesn't slide easily into the top of the jar.  With quite a bit of pressure I was able to get it into the bottle (pic 2) BUT I wasn't able to easily get it out of the jar, I had to really pull hard to get it out which resulted in it wiping most of the product back into the jar. Insert sad face & sigh here_____. 

I was so bummed about this not working for my foundation, I had almost given up on it and then I realized there's tons of other products I can use this with, just as long as they have a wider opening at the top, it's perfect!  I was able to scoop out a full 1 ounce bottle worth of smoothing hair serum from a bottle I was about to throw away.  1 ounce is a lot! That would last me forever! 

So all in all, I think this is a really great product, I just wish it was more narrow so it could fit into smaller products better.  For the price, you can't beat it! $14.99 + S&H and it includes two!  You can purchase your Every Drop Beauty Spatula from tryeverydrop.com

GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Since I received an extra spatula, I'd love to give one away! All you have to do is follow my page via GFC or Bloglovin & leave a comment  below telling me why you'd like to win one! This giveaway will end next Wednesday, June 27th at 10pm MST.   Good luck!

Until next time,

Marina - mCubed Makeup

I received this product from the company for review purposes, I am in no way affiliated with the company nor am I being paid, these thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Five-Faves-Friday Vol 8 - Hunger Games Obsessed?

This week seemed to go so slooooooooow! I had been anticipating watching The Hunger Games movie since the second I heard there was even going to be a movie! Every day this week I would check my countdown app to see how many hours left! Last night FINALLY came! I went all out...had my Katniss braid, Girl On Fire makeup, Hunger Games T-Shirt AND my China Glaze Hunger Games polish on! All I needed was a bow & arrow but I used my better judgement & left it at home ;) We got to the theater around 9:30pm to wait in line for the midnight release...SO AMAZING! 

Right before we left the house! EXCITEMENT!

 So now that I got a bit of my HG excitement out...I'll proceed with my Five-Faves of the week! :)

The Hunger Games

Ohhhh how did you EVER guess?! Obviously my first fave is going to the The Hunger Games.  I first discovered this book from my amazing cousin Tracey (Hey girl, hey!) while I was on vacation in Las Vegas! She was telling me about it & I wasn't really sold, it sounded graphic and disturbing. I'm a chick-lit kinda girl.  Well, my curiosity got the best of me! On the plane ride home I bought it on my Kindle.  Best. Choice. Ever. I become so engrossed in this book it was insane! To this day, it remains one of my top reads. I hope if you're reading this and you haven't read The Hunger Games, RUN...do not walk & get a copy to start reading immediately! You'll thank Tracey & I later.

MAC - Call Me Bubbles Quad

 This is from the recent release of the Shop MAC collection.  I saw this and wasn't excited one bit.  These are colors I don't usually ever buy. I probably wear pinks, corals & oranges once in a blue moon.  Why would I spend my money on shadows I'm not going to use? Well I saw some swatches online and was sold! I ordered this and had it overnighted. It came last week and I've used it at least 5 times! I am in love! Probably one of my most favorite quads I've ever come across. Yay for getting out of my "neutral-rut" I even used this for my "Girl On Fire" look last night!

Mineral Hygienics Foundation

I recently did a full in-depth review of these which can be found by clicking here.  (There also may, or may not be a promo code ;) check for yourself)  I have used these every day since last week! My skin has never looked better! I've gotten so many compliments recently, this stuff is like magical skin powder! Everyone I talk to I've been telling them about this. I am HOOKED! I can't wait to use this on some of my clients.  My skin is definitely going to be thanking me come the 100 degree weather! It's going to feel so good not having to wear heavy liquid foundation. Woot Woot!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Lara Bar

I looove me some peanut butter. I looove me some chocolate. I looove me some Lara Bars! Wait, what?!  All three combined? YES! I recently discovered this particular flavor and oh my stars. I love these puppies! They seriously taste like candy bars! I love Lara Bars because of the ingredients they use, in this particular bar, there are only 4: Dates, peanuts, salt & unsweetened chocolate chips! Not bad, eh? I've always got one of these in my pro kit, my purse or in a secret drawer I have in my desk.  

Popcorn Indiana All Natural Kettle Corn

 Kettle corn usually isn't my forte. When it comes to popcorn, I'm more of a "slathered in warm butter" kinda girl! I tried these at my Aunt Sherri's (Hiiiii Aunt Sherri!) during our first annual Valentine's Day Card Making & Cupcake Party.  She whipped up a fun trail mix for all of us and this kettle corn was in it. WOWZA! After I left there, we went grocery shopping & I told my husband the first thing we MUST get is this kettle corn! I found cute little portion controlled baggies! These are now a staple in my snacking routine...that's right, I have a routine...for snacking :)

So that's it! Have you read The Hunger Games? Tried the Lara Bars? Looking to try the Mineral Hygienic Foundation? Your comments make me smile!

Until next time,

Marina - mCubed Makeup

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Five-Faves-Friday Vol 7

Whoa! WHAT. A. WEEK! I completely over-exfoliated my face to the point where it was raw! Horrible! I was in so much pain and NOTHING seemed to help! I spent all weekend miserable.  I finally did some researching online and have been able to get my face looking semi-normal again.  The following items are what have really helped my face this week...I don't think I'd be going out in public if it wasn't for them! 

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream for Dry, Sensitive Skin

Photo credit - amazon.com 

Since I have the worlds oiliest skin, I was really freaking out when my whole entire face was covered in dry flakey patches! It literally felt like sandpaper. UGH! There wasn't a drop of oil on my face...since all the products I own are for oily skin, I did some research for the best drug-store moisturizer for dry skin...good ol' Makeup Alley led me in the right direction.  This thing is HUGE! It will probably last me 19000 years...it's really thick and I had to dig in there to get product out.  This immediately soothed my skin and has helped me get some moisture back into my face. I've been using it for a week and today was the day I finally didn't need it, I have a few little dry flakes but I was finally able to go back to my oily skin items :) 

Drinking Water

Photo Credit - aimfree.org

 Water is my absolute favorite drink, I drink at least 8-10 glasses a day.  For some reason during this whole "face trauma" I stopped drinking it...bad move, buddy! This made my face even more dehydrated.  As soon as I jumped back on the water drinking wagon, my face started to change back.  It's amazing what water can do for your skin.  Yes, I still had some dry spots but my skin didn't feel so tight as if it was going to split open if I smiled.  It really helped bring moisture into my face. 

Merle Norman's Aqua Balance Foundation

Photo Credit - makeupalley.com

I will start by saying this, I DO NOT LEAVE THE HOUSE WITHOUT SOME FORM OF MAKEUP ON MY FACE! With all of these dry patches, it was sooo hard to put makeup on, everything looked horrible.  I decided to go through my foundation drawer and see if I could find my most moisturizing one of the bunch.  I picked up this little guy and mixed it with my next favorite (Strobe Cream) and I was finally able to put my face on!  This really gave me amazing coverage without being too drying or oily.  I forgot how much I love this stuff!

MAC's Strobe Cream

Photo Credit - maccosmetics.com

I use this for EVERY single one of my clients...I think it is one of my top HG's for my kit.  You can watch my video here of why I personally don't use it on myself...well in this case, I needed it.  This helped deflect the focus off of my flaky skin! It made me look moisturized, dewey & radiant! It was the macaroni to Merle Norman - Aqua Balance's cheese! They went perfect together. This helped hide all my imperfections with the foundation. LOVE!

Birthday Cake Flavored Oreo's

Photo Credit - forked.com 

 "Oreo's again?! But they were in your LAST Five-Faves-Friday!" Yes, yes, I know...the horror! Well since I had a horrid face week, these little guys helped cheer me riiight up! They taste like the Rainbow Chip icing tubs with cookies!! YUM! I may or may not of eaten the whole bag this week...

So my beautiful readers, tell me about your week! 

Until next time, 

Marina - mCubed Makeup

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Video Review - MAC Viva Glam Nicki Review & Swatch

This item has been purchased by me, with my own money. 

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**CLOSED** MAC VIVA GLAM GIVEAWAY! MAC VIVA GLAM GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED! CONGRATULATIONS Amy L.

I recently hit my 100 followers mark on Twitter (WAAHOOO!) and I want to do a giveaway for you all! Since I am obsessed with the fact that MAC donates 100% of all purchases of their Viva Glam products to the MAC Aids Fund, I want to do a Viva Glam Lipstick giveaway! The winner can pick one (1) of the following Viva Glam Lipsticks:

MAC Viva Glam I

Photo courtesy of www.maccosmetics.com

   MAC Viva Glam II

Photo Courtesy of www.maccosmetics.com

                                                                  MAC Viva Glam III

Photo Courtesy of www.maccosmetics.com

                                                                  MAC Viva Glam IV

Photo Courtesy of www.maccosmetics.com

                                                                   MAC Viva Glam V

Photo Courtesy of www.maccosmetics.com

                                                                  MAC Viva Glam VI

Photo Courtesy of www.maccosmetics.com

I absolutely love these lipsticks and I love that this company gives back the way it does! I will also be throwing in a pair of my FAVORITE Ardell False Lashes! TO ENTER:

• Enter using Rafflecopter below
• Ends February 27th 2012 
• You can come back each day and RT for extra entries!

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