MAC Bare study dupe found!! Covergirl intense shadow blast review.

I have found a dupe of one of my favorite MAC products ever. Let me first say that I love MAC's bare study paint pot because it is gorgeous and ever so versatile. I use this product pretty much every day. It makes a great eyeshadow base in general and works great as an all over with neutral looks. It just looks good with anything. So, of course, I would recommend the MAC point pot in bare study to anyone....I just love it.
But, for those of you on a budget or those that don't have easy access to a MAC counter/store, I have found a great dupe. Cover girl has a new line of cream shadows called Intense Shadow Blasts. I picked up one in 'beige blaze' (typo: i used the wrong terminology on the swatch pictures - it is beige blaze, not blast) and found that it is pretty spot on for bare study. It applies a little lighter than bare study. I would describe the texture as like that of a mousse. Bare study is more of a sturdy cream. You can see from the swatch below that bare study has a more pink base to it and applies more evenly without blending. Otherwise, it would be extremely hard to tell them apart (especially on the lids). The two swatches below were taken without flash in different lighting (natural vs. artificial).

You can see from the picture below, that the color in the packaging is very similar as well.

Let me talk about some other aspects of the packaging. It uses a doe foot type applicator so it's not as hygienic for multiple uses as the bare study (but, I would guess most people purchasing the covergirl are just using it for themselves only). And, I could foresee a problem getting every last drop of product out of the covergirl as the doe foot will have trouble reaching all areas of the tube.

The CoverGirl states that there is a primer built in and that it won't crease. I can't attest to the strength of the product alone as I always wear a primer under every cream shadow, the MAC paint pot included. However, with my E.L.F. primer, the cover girl did not crease through a whole days wear! And, without saying, neither does the MAC. It applies well, blends easily, and stays on. It also works well under powder shadows - it doesn't make them more difficult to apply or blend as some creams do.

Bottom line: I really enjoy these new cover girl shadows. Make sure you get the new product and not the old smoky shadow blast sticks (as they were pretty terrible) - it would be easy to get confused with the similar names. Look for the packaging pictured above. I like these shadows so much, I already have a total of 3 out of the 6 colors offered. I think they are a great, inexpensive, cream shadow that look great on the lids. I also think this is a good alternative for those that don't have access to MAC and would like to get their hands on Bare Study. Let me know if you have any questions or would like to see more of this line!

My Fast Face! Using MAC products.

So, this post is intended to deliver a more realistic makeup look. Most days, we don't have time to spend 20 minutes on awesome looking, glittered-out, smokin' eyes. This is how I look when I don't have time or plan to reapply more makeup later. You don't need a lot of products to do this and most of what I used is MAC. All the products I used are pictured below - that's pretty much all I used (except my foundation/powder/blush). I think this whole look took 15 minutes for the whole face, tops.

Pictured are all the products AND brushes used. And they are....

1. Sephora eyeliner brush

2. Eco Tools concealer brush

3. NYX eyeliner pencil in 'white pearl'

4. MAC paint pot in 'bare study' (permanent line)

5. MAC fluidline in 'waveline' (permanent line)

6. eyelash curler

7. NYX round lipstick in 'galaxy' -> LOVE this color!!!

8. l'oreal voluminous million lashes mascara

9. Maybelline lash stiletto mascara

** Also used on face: Stila convertible color in 'lilium'; revlon colorstay in buff foundation; revlon photoread concealer in fair; revlon colorstay powder in fair.

So, for the eyes, all I did was use the MAC paintpot in bare study to the entire eye and brow area (using the eco tools concealer brush). This color is awesome. It's a shimmery champagne color and since it's a paintpot (doubles as base and cream base), it stays on forever. That's all for the eye color. Now, to line my eyes, I used the MAC fluidline to create a winged toplash line (using the sephora brush). I realize my wings aren't even and I'm working on that!!!! However, the uneven wings are not very noticeable with closed eyes. For the bottom lashline, I used the NYX pencil to line the water line. Since this is a white color, it gives you a more awake look. Curl lashes and apply mascara - you're done!! For the lips, I used just the NYX lipstick in galaxy. I only applied a little blush to the apples of my cheeks and that was using the stila convertible color. That's it!