Mark. Mini Haul

Hey guys!

I finally got my mark. rep starter kit today. It came with: satin mini train case (so cute), mini brush set, Make It Big mascara, Juice Gems in Fig, i-mark eyeshadows in Nomadic and Tiki, Good Glowing blush in After Glo, Mezzo SnaptoIt case, Dew Drenched lipstick in Toffee, and a Flip For It palette in Sydney. Unfortunately, the mascara and lip gloss were a bit funky (mascara was dried out and lip gloss had separated) so they are being returned or replaced if possible.

Here's the Snap to It case with the blush and two shadows in it (it's magnetic!):


I really love all the colors in this palette. I see this as being every day material. I had After Glo in college and wore it like, every day. It's the perfect blush for a "natural glow." It looks a lot like NARS Orgasm, too, as I mentioned in my previous post. Here are side by side comparisons:


NARS Orgasm might be slightly more finely milled, but when you look at the two side by side they're almost identical. I'd definitely say that when you compare price ($25 vs. $6) the choice is clear. Here are swatches (I apologize for my crusty winter hands):

L to R: Orgasm, After Glo

As you can see, Orgasm might be slightly peachier with more gold, whereas After Glo has larger chunks of glitter and is maybe a bit pinker.

I also think that the i-mark in Tiki is a great dupe for MAC's Bronze. Here's a side by side shot (without flash):

L to R: Bronze, Tiki

Side by side, they also look nearly identical. The MAC shadow goes for $11 a pop plus tax (you also have to have a palette in which to place it, it has a magnet on the back) and the mark. shadow retails for $4. Pretty big price difference for items that are so similar - and the mark. eyeshadow is bigger!

Here are swatches:

L to R: Bronze, Tiki (without flash)

L to R: Bronze, Tiki (with flash)

See? Pretty similar!

The last item that I'm really excited about is the Flip For It palette in Sydney. It's such a clever idea - one portable palette that includes two shadows, a blush, and four lip colors (two lipsticks, two glosses). Genius! I'm not sure how much I'll actually use the lip colors because they're maybe a bit dark for my super pale skin, but I love the neutral, wearable colors of the powder side of the palette. They're pretty similar to the items in the SnaptoIt case (but the blush here is matte). At $20 retail, this is a great buy.

All in all, I'm really impressed with the items I received. They're wearable, affordable, and downright pretty. When you think about it, isn't that what makeup is supposed to be?

I look forward to buying more products from this brand. After spending nearly $500 on MAC products in the past month (yikes!), I am looking forward to getting my beauty fixes in a less painful way.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Katherine